Jury Awards Woman Seriously Injured by MARTA Escalator $1.4 Million

March 01, 2011

A Fulton County jury returned a judgment against MARTA and one of its contractors for $1.4 million in damages stemming from an escalator accident in a MARTA station where a woman was seriously injured. The serious escalator accident occurred in the Five Points station when the escalator malfunctioned and suddenly began to operate in reverse, causing a dozen people to fall on the platform.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit suffered a broken leg, which was the most serious injury in the incident. The verdict against MARTA and Schindler Elevator Corp., which handles escalator maintenance for MARTA, should be a wake-up call for MARTA, which has had a slew of recent escalator mishaps.

Another Fulton County jury in 2008 found MARTA liable for $525,000 in damages to a person who suffered a broken neck when a Peachtree Center station escalator suddenly sped up and ran wildly out of control resulting in multiple people being dropped on the platform. Prior to the 2008 lawsuit, MARTA had three separate escalator accidents on New Year's Eve 2007 that injured at least 11 people. The incidents occurred as large crowds were going to the Chic-Fil-A Bowl. Two of the failed escalator accidents occurred at the Five Points station, while the other occurred at the Phillips Arena/CNN Center station. A formal investigation of the 2007 New Year's Eve escalator accidents indicated that the incidents were caused by defective braking systems and a weak motor.

Over 575 million people ride escalators everyday and never consider the possibility of a defective or poorly maintained escalator malfunctioning, let alone the possibility of suffering serious injuries. However, 11,000 people are injured in escalator accidents annually with at least 27 more being killed. Liability for an escalator accident is usually attributable to the negligence of building owners or property managers since it is their responsibility to make sure that all escalators are properly maintained and operating safely for tenants, employees and visitors. As in the MARTA case, a contractor that is in charge of the repair or maintenance of an escalator may also be liable in an escalator accident lawsuit.

If you have been seriously injured or a family member has suffered wrongful death in a Georgia escalator accident, Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, will represent you in seeking just compensation for your injuries. The best way to prevent serious Georgia escalator accidents is to place financial responsibility for such accidents squarely on the shoulders of the property owners and maintenance companies that do not take adequate precautions to prevent such incidents.

Our Georgia escalator accident attorneys are available to assist clients throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. We work hard for our clients and are committed to providing exceptional service as part of our goal of being the best accident attorneys in Georgia. No matter where you are located we are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.

Auto Accident Checklist

What we're doing in our community

Please Note:Many of our blog articles discuss the law. All information provided about the law is very general in nature and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Every situation is different, and should be analyzed by a lawyer who can provide individualized advice based on the facts involved in your unique situation, and a consideration of all of the nuances of the statutes and case law that apply at the time.